Telltale the Darigan Dancer: Part Three

Chantel gently pushed open a door. Four ladies were giggling,
whispering, and had tea and biscuits. "Hello, dear!" a Desert Aisha in a similar
Meridell dress said, waving to the Court Dancer. "Please, sit down! We were just
chatting to ourselves."

She sat between the Aisha and a White Draik.
The ladies were garbed in the same dresses as Chantel. She itched to get out
and slip back into the more comfortable garments Morguss had let her use.

"Her name sounds so familiar; I think my brother
mentioned a name like that after I had to pinch him out of that trance he was
having."

"Your brother had a trance? Well, Kells was
busy ranting off about that dancing gypsy. Shame! I had to thwack him with a
frying pan just to stop his eyes going in twirls!"

Chantel stared at her cup of tea, feeling guilty.
"I don't think she meant to do so much harm," she exclaimed to the older women,
taking a sip.

"Pish tosh!" a Royal Acara scoffed. "The young
sister of Sir Jeran, what was her name? Oh yes, Lisha. Well, Mistress Lisha
knows well. Hark, what language she used and called the Court Dancer a big fraud,
a fat prancing sack of rags!"

Chantel choked and began coughing madly. "Dear,
me, Chantel!" the Desert Aisha cried, patting her back sympathetically. "What
was that all about?"

"Nothing, this tea just...it needs more sugar!"
she chuckled nervously, and reached for the box. She stared. Cubes of delicate
white sugar. Brown sugar is all we have, Chantel thought, dropping a
cube into the tea and stirring with a spoon. She gulped it down and felt as
though her tongue was going to do a little jig. Gahh! Too sweet! I'll use
honey next time!

"White sugar doesn't really suit me," she explained
to the confused ladies, pouring a tablespoon of honey into the tea. The tea
was the kind that was expected to be very sweet. She sipped cautiously and was
satisfied with the taste. "So...what do you think about that special Meridell
spy?"

"Oh, she's quite fine, but what puzzles me is
that she seems too empty!" the Acara said. "She doesn't even tell his Majesty
her real name! If you ask me she's probably working for that Kass person!"

Chantel looked very ill.

"Kass?" the Eyrie echoed. "You mean that general
in Lord Darigan's army?"

"More like Lord Kass now!" Chantel spat.
"Don't side with him. He'll make you beg for food on your hands and knees. If
you don't fight in his battles, he'll make you until you're run in the fields!
He's stupid, he's a coward, and he's-"

The Orb grabbed Chantel's mind hard. The Aisha
dropped her cup, spilling the tea on the table, let a long gasp and buckled
over to her knees again, clutching her head with her dainty paws. The ladies
began chatting, helping the poor controlled thing.

"My Lord would never do such a thing," were
the words that managed to escape Chantel's lips. She gasped at what she just
said and shouted angrily. The four ladies looked at each other, puzzled. "Maybe
the hands of his Spellcaster slap me across the mouth," she said sadly. "I need
to be alone. You are all so lucky; how peaceful your country is and how brave
the warriors are."

And she disappeared, envying the surroundings
in the peaceful country, hardly anything to her bitter place.

* * * * * * * *

Meanwhile Morguss was busy into deep thinking.
She thought about Jared, the one she had chose, the one that died in the midst
of battle. For ten years after the famine and curse spread across Darigan, he
had not seen his young child.

Once he saw young Chantel before going into
warfare against Meridell. "She's changed so much," he remarked as the ten-year-old
slept. "I hope you've been teaching her well."

Morguss was not the mean old hag she was when
the whole family was around. "I'm sorry," she said sadly to Jared, "but I've
been mistreating her so much, I don't know what's come over me."

She had felt the Darigan Aisha's tough but gentle
paw rest on her shoulder, and a warmth of comfort spread. "As ugly as we are,
as mind-controlled as you, it's not your fault." He was dressed in full armor
and threw his arms around the Moehog. "I will miss you whilst in the war."

And with magic she had cheated seeing Jared.
At times she would send thought messages to Jared, even letting Chantel do as
she pleased. It was when she noticed Jared's best friend, Darrell, locked in
a battle with a Meridellian Zafara mage, Zora. They were armed but continued
to stare at each other, and finally Zora had cast a magical blazing spell. It
was blue. Morguss realized it was meant to be a shield. She gave herself a smile,
and watched as Jared jabbed a Koi knight with one of his spearbutts.

Then she saw Kass, still one of the most best
generals. He had ran Zora with his sword. Darrell had watched in shock. "She
was a Meridellian, but she didn't deserve that," Jared had muttered. To his
surprise General Kass had come straight at Darrell full force. Morguss and Jared
had watched horrified as the Darigan Zafara swordsman crumpled to the ground.

Kass turned to Jared, his eyes aflame. The Aisha
began throwing spears at full force, and was chagrined as Kass simple blocked.
His lance was in a Meridellian, so he had grabbed a spear axe called a halberd.
Morguss's heart pulsed as he used the thunder magic that the Moehog Spellcaster
had entrusted in the halberd. Kass was wounded.

It didn't stop Kass from throwing his sword.
Morguss screamed as Jared fell off his Uni, who galloped away. "Morguss...I
know you watch..." he had muttered heavily, and gave his last smile. "Take care
of Chantel...she will help you in return." Those were the last words he said
before Kass charged at the fallen Aisha with his own halberd.

Stunned at her daydream, Morguss felt her eyes
watering. She furiously wiped the salty tears and turned back to what she really
wanted. She knew Kass had slain Jared and was a traitor, but she needed to be
entrusted with Lord Kass' true trust.

The spell of watching was long forgotten by
the Spellcaster Mage, so she couldn't see how her heathen child was doing.

* * * * * * * *

Chantel was dancing in the court, the full greed,
vanity and flirty ways of the Orb in her head. She grinned at everybody, including
Lisha, and gave a smile, but threw flaming daggers of hate at the pesky Aisha
with her eyes. Lisha was staring at her, he mouth open-wide, then turned around
and ran.

Chantel grinned. Coward, she thought as she
continued to dance. She twirled around. Oh, the joy to dance! Her mother Morguss
had done a fine job at the spell. Lord Kass would be very pleased. Soon he would
be Emperor Kass, and rule Neopia. Then she could dance for the whole world,
because she knew she was the best! Oh, yes! It felt good; she could already
feel the victory in her paws and her feet. She wouldn't even need a Brown Paintbrush.
She would be the most beautiful of all Neopia!

Suddenly a familiar voice echoed the court.
Every single sparkle of magical dust she used vanished. "Court Dancer Chantel,
your time is up!"

Snapping back to attention, the Court Dancer
knew that her mother had taught her a spell with those last four words; a spell
to break other spells. She turned to Lisha, who was pointing a finger at her
and holding a spellbook. Reality coursed through her mind. She began to panic.
Lisha was going to reveal her true form!

Lisha knew. Chantel's eyes darted towards Kayla,
who held a potion in her hand. Visibility Mist.The Court Dancer knew
it revealed those of invisible spells...or illusions! "She sprayed in
my direction so that idiot Aisha could see me!" Chantel gasped, and began dancing
away frantically.

"That which is hidden cannot hide," the Yellow
Aisha chanted, ignoring Chantel's gettaway. Chantel and Lisha began to glow
with a pulsing green light. Chantel's mind seemed to make her shake all over.
"Where there is truth, lies cannot abide..."

"You from the King, I must wean, everyone here..."
Lisha continued, and the two Aishas blazed in a slow green fire. Lisha's face
scowled and jabbed her finger at the Court Dancer. "...LET IT BE SEEN!"

The green flames surrounding Lisha thrashed
towards Chantel. "No! No! NO!!!" she repeatedly shrieked. The Orb glowed with
rage. Chantel gave a scream of mercy and pain and clutched her head as pain
ached all over her body again. She could hear everyone gasping, Lisha and her
dreadful chuckles, and besides her, something else screaming.

When it was over, her original mind had returned
to normal, the Orb weak in power. The heavy D hung from her chain. Her purple
spotty fur returned. The spikes, which laid only on her tail, grew. Her ear
had a notch. Her curls turned to messy locks. Her yellow and emerald green entrancing
eyes was turned to angry burning red and forest green pupils. The paint on her
lips she had applied had washed off, and instead looked fat and disgusting on
her. She glared and hissed at Lisha, her fangs really sharp again.

She suddenly felt a presence in the room, which
was her friend. Before she could think, Zephyrne yanked her paw. "Let's go!"
she yelled, running towards the doors.

"Get the Zafara!" King Skarl roared. "She works
for Kass as well!"

Tears streamed down Chantel's eyes. She actually
thought Kass as Emperor Kass, had thought her mother was the best, and
was very greedy. What had caused all this? she though while sobbing.

* * * * * * * *

Chantel threw open the doors of the Kass Citadel
and stared horrified as Morguss stepped forward, Lord Kass behind her. "You
mindless daydreaming Aisha!" she screamed. The Orb was cackling silently as
Chantel fell to the floor again, her mind throbbing. "Who was it that discovered
you?! TELL ME!"

The dancer wailed as the Orb continued tormenting
her. "Lisha, sister of Jeran Borodere-" She gave a loud scream as the Orb and
Morguss whacked her.

"Shame, girl!" Kass barked at her. "Double Agent,
take her to the dungeon."

"Zephyrne, don't let them do this to me," Chantel
begged, but the spy just yanked her arm.

"I'm sorry," she droned. "And don't call me
Zephyrne." Chantel's eyes widened as Zephyrne dragged her away. That Zafara
still didn't know who she was?! And had no feelings at all for the one she befriended.

"Idiot..." the Aisha hissed.

Soon they came upon one of Master Vex's favorite
dungeons: his own. He was busy playing Cellblock with his partner, Galgarrath
the Grarrl Warrior. "I win again," Master Vex smirked, moving one of his pieces.
Galgarrath groaned, then heeded attention as Zephyrne swung Chantel in the cell.
She turned the key to the heavy lock.

"I am not called Zephyrne! Why do you keep calling
me that? It's not my name." was the reply.

"Zephyrne? Oh, no, this is NOT Zephyrne, dear
Chantel," Vex explained, and began the fourth game in a day by moving his pawn.
"Zephyrne was a free spirit, her mother a Meridell Mage and her father a Darigan
Fighter. This Zafara has blank emotions and is harder to read than a dim-witted
Droolik."

"Let me be," Zephyrne growled before slipping
the keys in her pocket. Galgarrath shook his head and Chantel screeched angry
dark words and continued slamming into the bars.

"Face it, miss," he said, standing up. He placed
his Darigan claw on Chantel's shoulder. She turned his head to him and snarled.
"You'll never convince Zephyrne that she is what she is. That oaf Kass had put
her to sleep for a huge amount of time that she forgot all about her previous
life."

"Kass made her forget?" Chantel seethed, getting
more furious by the seconds.

Master Vex nodded. "That's how bad Kass is.
If you saw that her mother and father were slain, er, um, you tell her, Galgarrath."

The Grarrl sighed. "Chantel, your father, Jared,
was one of the best Uniback knights," he explained. "He could fight with spears,
a lance of steel and a magical halberd that Morguss had given him before the
Meridell war."

"He was slain by the Meridellians?" she gasped,
getting even more angry.

Chantel threw herself against the bars of the
dungeon, denting it slightly and was screaming furiously with even more dark
words. "Kass, you impudent ignoramus!" she yelled at the top of her lungs, squeezing
the bars. "You mindless stupid warlord! Your family are a bunch of soil-sucking
losers, you worm! I want vengeance! You're gonna DIE!!! LET ME OUT!!!"

TO BE CONTINUED...

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